Digital radiography (DR) imaging converts incident x-ray radiation energy to pixelated digital image content using a scintillator material that converts the x-ray energy to light for detection by an array of photodetectors. The portable DR detector has a housing that supports and protects the scintillator material and its accompanying photodetector array and also contains various other types of circuitry for providing power, control, and data communication for the detector.
Requirements for packaging of the sensing and support components within the detector housing are demanding. Conventional housing arrangements are typically characterized by high component count, complex cable routing, and proliferation of mounting hardware including fasteners, standoffs, spacers, clips, seals, cushioning, and related components. As a result, weight, size, reliability, assembly time, and cost remain areas needing improvement. Even with the advent of more lightweight photodetector array substrates and housing materials, including plastics and composites, cost, complexity, and weight can still pose formidable problems to be addressed.
Among challenges when using a non-metal housing are the need for providing a common ground plane for internal components and EMI (electro-magnetic interference) shielding requirements, both to shield internal circuitry from external EMI sources and to provide conformance to requirements for low EMI emission from the DR detector. A metal housing inherently provides these requirements. Alternate strategies must be used for providing these structural and electrical features when using plastic or composite housings.
Conventional component packaging solutions tend to constrain the amount of surface area available for image acquisition. The photodetector array, typically formed on a separate glass substrate or other substrate, including flexible substrates, is constrained by the housing size as well as by the need for additional space along one or more edges, such as for handling and for drop shock protection. In addition, space must be allotted for wire harnesses/flex cables needed to transfer the received signals to printed circuit board assemblies for signal processing. Thus, there would also be advantages to packaging approaches that help to alleviate spacing problems and to increase the available imaging area within the detector housing.
Thus, there is need for approaches that can simplify assembly, advance reliability, increase imaging area, and help to further reduce weight and complexity of assembly for DR detectors.